My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 2 Serving in the Heavenly Prison

The next day, early in the morning.

Shen Yan woke up early in the morning feeling refreshed and full of energy.

There's a surge of energy in my chest that I can't release.

Upon entering the courtyard, he looked at the stone lock that his father used to forge, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

He stretched out his right hand and gently lifted the stone lock, which weighed dozens of kilograms, with ease.

"Hiss! What's going on? A few days ago, it took both hands to barely lift it off the ground, but now I can easily pick it up with one hand."

His strength is comparable to that of an average adult strongman; just yesterday he was a frail scholar.

Back then, he didn't even have the strength to catch chickens or chase dogs, but now he seems like an apprentice who has been practicing martial arts for over a month, with long, steady breaths and a calm, deliberate gait.

Shen Yan was shocked, his thoughts sinking into his mind.

On the golden Dao Fruit, the dark figure was still practicing the Taizu Long Fist.

I understand.

"It really is because of this Xuan Tian Dao Fruit. I never expected it to be so miraculous. It allows one to achieve success in learning without needing a medicinal bath or physical conditioning."

Shen Yan could no longer suppress his smile and burst into laughter.

Feeling that he was being a little too loud and that people might make unfounded assumptions if they heard him, he immediately stopped laughing.

But the joy in his eyes did not diminish; he couldn't help but secretly rejoice.

"With this method, martial arts are a piece of cake for me. Why bother studying or taking the imperial examinations? Even if I were to serve in the prison, having cultivation would make me much safer."

Seeing that it was already dawn, Shen Yan tidied himself up and hurried towards the prison.

My steps were light and cheerful as I walked, the fear of yesterday completely gone, and now I was even looking forward to life in the prison.

"I've heard there are quite a few martial arts practitioners in the Heavenly Prison. If I could acquire some advanced skills, I should be able to easily capture a ninth-rank martial artist."

Shen Yan arrived at the Heavenly Prison.

He walked through the dark, gloomy prison corridor. His brows furrowed slightly as he thought to himself.

"The conditions in this prison are truly terrible; the air is thick with a musty smell mixed with some other indescribable odors—it's extremely unpleasant."

He wasn't pretentious and adapted quickly.

After meeting the prison warden, he instructed his clerk to take Shen Yan to his post, and he was assigned to prison guard Ma Danian, who was in charge of the C-class prison.

The advisor handed him over to Ma Danian and then left.

Before leaving, the clerk instructed the jailer, "Ma Danian, this is Shen Changqing's son. He will be working under you from now on."

Ma Danian looked at Shen Yan in front of him with a hint of regret in his eyes.

"So you're the kid from the Changqing family. Not bad, you're quite handsome. Your father and I had a good relationship when he was alive, so just call me Uncle Ma."

"If you don't understand anything in the future, feel free to ask me. The prison is not like a trading post; one wrong step could cost you your life..."

He kept talking the whole way, and Shen Yan could only nod in response.

He had some impression of Ma Danian. Ma Danian looked to be in his forties and had a pale face. Perhaps it was because he had never seen the light of day. All the jailers in the prison had this characteristic.

Shen Yan had visited Ma Danian's house to offer incense during his vigil, and he still believed Ma Danian's words to some extent.

It turns out that the Heavenly Prison is also divided into different classes. The Class A Heavenly Prison holds officials and imperial relatives, all of whom are people of status.

Those in the "B" category were mostly wealthy merchants, as well as servants of high-ranking officials.

The Class C prison was for powerless commoners and outlaws.

While imprisoned in the Class C prison, he only needed to be wary of those ruthless outlaws who lived on the edge of death.

Shen Yan followed him to the storeroom, where Ma Danian took out a set of clothes and held them up against Shen Yan.

"Try it on and see if it fits."

After changing his clothes, Shen Yan looked at the coarse blue cloth robe in front of him, with a large "soldier" character written on the chest, and found it rather strange.

"Uncle Ma, something's not right. Wasn't my father a jailer? How come I'm a jailer now?"

Ma Danian sighed.

"Your father was indeed a prison officer, but he passed away before his appointment was issued. Hu Youtian benefited and became a prison officer in Class A, while you could only start as a jailer."

"That jailer with the 'A' designation was a tall, thin man with a black mole on his right cheek."

"That's right, you've met?"

"I met with the prison warden in the office just now."

"You need to be more careful in the future. Uncle Ma can't protect you all the time."

Shen Yan recalled that when he met with the prison warden in the office earlier, there seemed to be a prison guard from the Class A prison standing next to him. No wonder the way he looked at him was a bit strange. So that's the reason for the matter.

"It's a good thing I didn't work under him, otherwise I would have been driven crazy, even if I hadn't been killed."

Shen Yan didn't care about prison officials and guards. With the Xuan Tian Dao Fruit in his possession, what difference would it make if he were given a prison clerk position?

He remembered being tricked and vowed to make the other party pay the price if given the chance.

"I may not want what's mine, but you can't take it. And judging from Ma Danian's expression, there seems to be more to Shen's father's death than meets the eye."

He thought to himself, "I've already memorized it."

The most urgent task now is to find an opportunity to obtain more advanced techniques.

Only by improving our strength as soon as possible can we gain a foothold.

In this world where all power resides within oneself, personal strength is more important than anything else.

Shen Yan understood this principle.

Ma Danian had more than a dozen prison guards under his command, and Shen Yan was just one of them.

The prison guards' job was simple: to deliver meals to the prisoners and patrol the cells.

If any problems arise, they should be reported to superiors promptly. Most of the day is very leisurely.

The jailer with him was named Sun Fugui.

Shen Yan had just arrived at the prison and would be working there for some time, so naturally he didn't want to strain his relationship with the other prison guards.

He quickly became friends with Sun Fugui.

Shen Yan carried a rice bucket filled with some kind of thin porridge, with a few rotten vegetable leaves floating on top.

Even with such food, the prisoners in the jail were all drooling.

"Hey buddy, this isn't enough. Could you give me more?"

Before Shen Yan could speak, Sun Fugui had already started to scold him.

"That's all. If you want more food, just have your family send some money. We have all sorts of good stuff."

"This man is Zhu Zhengyang, a disciple of the Giant Whale Gang. He's in prison for murder, and his family has no money to bribe officials. Ignore him."

Shen Yan glanced at him, then followed Sun Fugui, and only after asking in detail did he understand.

It turns out that even in the imperial prison, money talks. Every prisoner who just entered the prison had to go through the torture chamber first. Then their family members would obediently send money in, which the prison guards jokingly called "giving money."

With money, you can naturally treat people to good food and drink. Except for not being able to invite the girls from Chunfenglou, you can do whatever you want.

Of course, if the family members are sensible and send money to bribe the prisoner in advance, the prisoner will not have to go through this ordeal.

Zhu Zhengyang was like a rock in a latrine—stinky and hard. He wouldn't give money, yet his skin and flesh were incredibly tough. The prison guards' punishments couldn't compare to the hardships he endured while practicing martial arts.

After delivering the meal, the two returned to the cell, which was already packed with people.

The advisor was also inside and saw Shen Yan and Sun Fugui return.

"Everyone's here. Let's start distributing this month's profits."